Jeri Jacquin
What an amazingly beautiful day to start the actually full day of San Diego Comic Con as all outside events begin to open up and the Exhibition Hall brings fans from all over the world.
Hall H begins the morning with PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS! Timothy Simons (Tantalus) brings about introductions but before that invites everyone who hasn’t seen the show to get on that. Executive Producers Dan Shotz, Craig Silverstein and Jon Steinberg are joined by the cast of Daniel Diemer (Tyson), Dior Goodjohn (Clarisse La Rue), Charlie Bushnesll (Luke Castellan), Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase), and Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson).
In the next season, the Executive Producers talk about how everything finally came to a safe space for Percy but in season two there is going to be quests to find the Golden Fleece. It’s needed for protection for all. Steinberg says that the world coming will be all magic and is a challenge but also exciting for fans. “It is all an adventure from start to finish,” says Steinberg. Shotz says, “The next season is so massive that we can not wait for you to see what we can do”.
Scobell and Jeffries have an amazing rapport on screen but they are so charming and funny on the panel stage as well. Jeffries says her character is going to be more vulnerable with Percy. Walker and Simons talk about the challenges of school and being on the set. “I remember, how we would be fighting and screaming on set for a scene and then I’d be in school” remembering what he had just done on set. A fun thing to film for Simhadri, “In season two it would be the wedding dress, that was pretty awesome.”
Finally, when asked about what :: would want fans to know, she says, “I think the big thing that I’ve been thinking about in my head is that it’s a very, very big deal is just seeing all of you here puts things in perspective and I believe that being able to live our characters fully and portray them properly knowing we are doing it for a higher purposes makes everything worth it.”
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and Jo Koy are the next panel and they bring the entire hall into fits of laughter. Making sure to be comedians bearing gifts there was a little something for everyone and it was a great way to start the morning because I’m always up for a laugh! They spoke about their show in 90-minute sets and joked about their heroes. HYDE: When Graphic Novel and Movie Worlds Collide takes the stage next to talk about the Johnny Depp-Ridley Scott collaboration with Robert Louis Stevensons Hyde. The graphic novel, created by Jesse Negron, is getting input from Depp and Scott for this intense collaboration.
“To build within the world of Robert Louis Steven’s masterful characters and to be welcomed into the vision of Ridley Scott…and inexplicably having the opportunity to explore, it’s surprising to me. Hopefully surprising to him. It’s insane and beautiful to receive trust from Ridley – a master”, says Depp.
Hall H has invited a few frights of its own as FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2, with Juju Green, has arrived for fans. Based on the wildly popular video game, it is a story of murderous animatronics inside a pizza restaurant that seems to have a curse. The first film opened in theatres and screaming in 2023 making a, pardon the pun, killing with $130 million the first weekend. Director Emma Tammi says there are many more animatronics than the first which, for viewers, means more twisted fun. Jason Blum says, “There is so much more lore here and we worked quite a long time to get the script right.” They are joined on stage by the cast of Josh Hutcherson (Mike), Piper Rubio (Abby), Theodus Crane (Jeremiah) and Teo Briones (Alex).
Hutcherson says his character now is, “Mike and Abby went through a lot in the first movie. I think Mike wants to get back to a normal life and find stability for Abby. He wants to have a nice normal life and that just can’t happen. I think that Mike in a way is trying – he has all this trauma from the first film and now he’s trying to fake it till you make it without full working through what happened. He’s going through it, I think the cool thing in this movie is that Mike and Abby are really strong. I think what happens in this film is that it gets to a place in this film where it gets even stronger.”
Skeet Ulrich joins the panel and when asked which animatronic would they be most afraid of if they were in the game, Skeet says, “Probably Freddy! I don’t know if I’d be scared of any of them.”
I was personally thrilled when THE TOXIC AVENGER: Unrated & Radioactive came to the main stage and a nice follow bringing another horror/comedy to the screen. The story is about Winston Gooze played by the amazing Peter Dinklage who is a janitor that becomes a little more than messed up by toxic waste. Turning into a superhero, it should surprise no one as toxic sludge has a tendency to do that. The panel brought Dinklage (Winston), Elijah Wood (Fritz), Jacob Tremblay (Wade), Taylour Paige (J.J.) and writer/director Macon Blair and Lloyd Kaufman producer. If that isn’t enough, how about a serenade mixed with an apology from Kevin Bacon but refers to the film as a “hilarious, punk, fun, and bloody ride” which means I will be first in line.
Loving how Dinklage gave us his personal feelings about seeing the film as a kid made me wonder, did he feel like a kid while making the film? He says so and that makes it all the more eager to see. He also doesn’t hesitate to give credit to Luisa Guerreiro for her work as the Toxic Avenger claiming “she does a better me than I do of me!”.
Finally, more frights as Ballroom 20 hosts Madelaine Petsch, director Renny Harlin and producer Courtney Solomon to rile up the fans about the sequel and a first-look from STRANGERS CHAPTER 2. Coming into theatres September 26th, the film promises to be more brutal because the strangers learn that Maya is still alive and they just can’t let that go. Of course, this means that no one is going to stand in their way – no one. Get ready to run!
That wraps up day one and a full day inside only matched by the fantastic happenings outside. Tomorrow has even more for film and television!
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